Shaarawy discusses with Good Makers Foundation cooperation in implementing some development initiatives and supporting traditional and handicrafts in the governorates of Upper Egypt
Aya Hussein
In the framework of the support of the Ministry of Local Development for the efforts of civil society and NGOs to develop the governorates of Upper Egypt, and to ensure On its integration with the work mechanisms of the local administration and the unprecedented government investments that the state has pumped into the Upper Egypt during the past seven years in implementation of the directives of the President of the Republic.
Mahmoud Shaarawy, Minister of Local Development, today, Mr. Mustafa Zamzam, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Good Makers Foundation, and Mr. Hassan Mustafa, President of the annual Forum for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development in the Makers of Good, in the presence of Dr. Walaa Gad Al-Karim, Director of the Central Unit of the “Dignified Life” initiative in the Ministry.
During the meeting, the Minister of Local Development was briefed on the efforts of the Good Maker Foundation and the position of implementing its development initiatives in the governorates of Upper Egypt, whether related to economic development and creating sustainable job opportunities or related to In health care, social development and the provision of decent housing within the framework of the presidential initiative “a decent life”, in the context of the Foundation’s contribution to the initiative with the support of sectors Social responsibility in a number of banks.
During the meeting, Mr. Mustafa Zamzam reviewed the efforts and activities carried out by the institution during the recent period on the land of the governorates of Upper Egypt, including Aswan To restore and reconstruct some dilapidated houses and their furniture, and to hand over fishing boats to fishermen. In Fayoum, a factory for hand-made carpets was opened in Dar al-Salaam and to provide sustainable job opportunities for citizens and other medical convoys and in-kind assistance to residents of the most needy villages in Upper Egypt.
The President of the Foundation thanked the Minister of Local Development for the great support and quick response from his Excellency, the Ministry’s work team and the governors to those initiatives and overcoming all obstacles and challenges facing the implementation and expansion of these community initiatives.
During the meeting, Major General Mahmoud Shaarawy also received an invitation to sponsor and honor the annual Forum for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development, which will be held by the Good Makers Foundation in Luxor Governorate during the period from 10 to 13 March next in the presence of a number of Ministers and Governors.
The Minister of Local Development also discussed with officials of the Foundation for the new development initiatives that will be launched during the annual meeting in Luxor and implemented this year in the governorates of Luxor, Qena and Aswan, which will cover the areas of health care for school children, support for traditional and handicrafts, and reconstruction of villages under the umbrella of the presidential initiative A decent life.
Major General Mahmoud Shaarawy stressed the importance of the role played by community work organizations and NGOs in completing the government’s efforts in an effort to provide a decent life for citizens, and “Sharawy” indicated that there are clear directives for all governorates to support the organizations Serious civil and civil society in implementation of what President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi decided to consider 2022 as the year of civil society.
During the meeting, the Minister of Local Development directed towards the importance of integration Among the efforts related to supporting heritage crafts, especially with regard to marketing platforms for handicrafts and heritage, improving their quality, opening new markets and enabling the owners of heritage handicrafts to reach the world, pointing to the experience of the Ministry, which it launched in cooperation with the World Food Program, regarding the “Ayady Masr” platform.
The Minister stressed that this will strengthen the value chains based on these crafts, increase Egyptian exports, create more job opportunities for Upper Egypt, and preserve some of those Crafts from extinction.
Major General Mahmoud Shaarawy also indicated the readiness of the Ministry and the governorates to provide all possible support in this direction, whether by providing some required plots of land. To establish permanent exhibitions or the lands required for the establishment of factories and production workshops in the field of small and micro projects, referring in this regard to the successful experience of the Ministry with the Federation of Egyptian Industries in the initiative “Your job is next to your village” to create and provide job opportunities for the people of the villages, which enables manufacturers to obtain land To establish factories and diversified value chains and support small industries that feed these factories. to invest in Upper Egypt”, which will be organized by the ministry and will be held under the auspices of the President of the Republic during the month of next March, and work on the participation of business institutions and banks to benefit This is one of the investment opportunities that will be offered in all Upper Egypt governorates in order to achieve the goal that the ministry seeks to achieve in creating job opportunities for Upper Egypt citizens and benefiting from all the investments that the state has pumped into infrastructure projects over the past seven years.
The Minister also discussed during the meeting the importance of benefiting from the financing opportunities available for green projects in the context of Egypt’s preparation for holding the Climate Summit next November in Sharm El Sheikh, stressing that Upper Egypt has great potentials in this regard. It can be made maximum use of.
Major General Mahmoud Shaarawy stressed the importance of the role that civil society organizations and NGOs play in implementing the presidential initiative, a decent life to integrate with The efforts made by the state in the villages of the Egyptian countryside.
The Minister also directed the central unit of the “Dignified Life” initiative in the ministry to continue communication and coordination with the institution and to harness all The capabilities of the governorates for the success and speedy implementation of the initiatives they are currently undertaking on the land of the governorates, as well as the implementation of the ideas and proposals that were discussed during the meeting to Achieving the maximum possible benefit from the integration between the efforts of the Ministry of Local Development in the governorates and the initiatives implemented by the Good Makers Foundation. The Local Development Program in Upper Egypt in the governorates of Qena and Sohag in reviving and maximizing the use of traditional crafts and promising productive activities within the framework of economic blocs.
